Young man urgently required for key non-speaking part, late teens/ early twenties for film about established London based charity. No experience required. Minimum age 18. No fee as cast/ extras are volunteers; however, food and refreshments available throughout shoot.

London Friend is the oldest Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender [LGBT] organisation in the UK. As part of its 40th Birthday celebrations in 2012, it is making a film about its services. The film is set in a busy café and 5 minutes long – short enough to post online and view on mobile phones.

Filming on Sunday 22 January 2012, 8am-2pm in Central London. Prior to this, there is a half day rehearsal (TBA during the week/ weekend).

To apply, email auditions@threeflyingpiglets.co.uk with your name, age, reliable email address and contact number; a recent photo; and a sentence why you would like to appear in a film.

Closing date: 10/1/2012.

GMFA and Gaydar are currently piloting a major UK-wide scheme to help gay men diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) to notify their recent sexual partners. The Sexual Health Messaging Service or SHMS has been developed in collaboration with GU clinics and Gaydar. The service is funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation and aims to reduce the number of men with undiagnosed STIs, including HIV. Men who are diagnosed with an STI can notify previous sexual partners via an online system, so their partners can get tested and, if necessary, treated.

How it works – for more information visit: www.gmfa.org.uk/shms
When someone is diagnosed with an STI in a clinic he will be advised by a health adviser to notify his recent sexual partners. If he would like some help to do this, he can use GMFA’s Sexual Health Messaging Service. Using a PIN number provided to him by his clinic, a diagnosed patient can go to the Sexual Health Messaging Service website and enter the profile names, email addresses and mobile numbers of the partners that need to be notified and hit the send button. The SHMS then sends notifications to all listed partners.

We don’t want anyone to use the service unless they have been diagnosed with an STI by a clinic, so patients will only be able to access the site if they are given special login details by a clinic. This service will initially be piloted at seven clinics in England, who will refer patients to the new service. After that the service will be expanded, first to the whole of London, then to the rest of the UK.

We know that most guys would rather be spoken to directly by a recent partner if that partner is diagnosed with an STI, but we also know that it can be an uncomfortable thing to do. The Sexual Health Messaging Service is there for men who find speaking to a recent partner too uncomfortable or simply aren’t sure what to say.

If you are sexually active and have a profile on Gaydar, then a notification will be sent to your profile at some point in the future. However, you will only be able to receive a notification sent to Gaydar if you have given your permission. Look out for this notification on the 28rd of November 2011 – we hope you will say ‘YES!’

Privacy
We have worked very hard to make sure we protect the privacy of people using and messaged by this new service. We only hold on to the contact details of partners for as long as it takes to make sure that the message has got through (or until we know it can’t get through). We are always open to feedback from users to find ways to make the service more helpful and acceptable. We have written a dedicated privacy policy relating to the Sexual Health Messaging Service.

Why we set up the Sexual Health Messaging Service
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) estimates that over a quarter of gay men with HIV are unaware they have the virus. HPA data also shows that the number of new STI diagnoses among gay men rose in 2008 and again in 2009.2 GMFA’s own research3 shows that the vast majority of gay men (99.3%) want to be notified by their sexual partner if they get diagnosed with an STI and 97.5% want to be told if their partner gets diagnosed with HIV.

Many STIs don’t show any symptoms, so you can easily be infected and not know it. Some STIs can have a serious impact on your health if left untreated. Some STIs can also make you more vulnerable to HIV if you are HIV-negative, or more infectious if you are HIV-positive. While it’s best to tell men you’ve had sex with if you find out you’ve picked up an STI, making that awkward phone call or sending an email can be difficult. As a result, some men choose not to tell, even though they know they should. That’s why we’ve developed this service, to make it easier.

This is a major project and marks a huge shift in the way men can notify their partners about STIs they’ve picked up. By making the process easy, we hope to make more men aware of any STIs they may have and ultimately reduce the number of STI infections in the community.

Saturday 1st October 2011 saw the W.I.G. Party 2011 take place in the glorious surrounds of One Mayfair, with over 700 Gods and Monsters in attendance along with other celebrities Jodie Harsh and Jason Gardiner. Gaydar was a proud sponsor of the event and made a financial contribution of £1000, in addition to thousands of pounds worth of advertising. These two hotties were also there handing out Gaydar hand-fans to keep everyone cool and looking fabulous!

Now in its 8th year and raising money for the National Aids Trust, the event was hosted by BBC Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury and one of Blue Peter’s best-loved former presenters, Tim Vincent.

Joshua Rafter, Chair of the Wig Party, said:

“We are over the moon with the support that Gaydar gave us and truly cannot thank you enough.”

“The W.I.G. Party 2011 was definitely the best yet – with the number of attendees, celebrities involved and the broad awareness raised for charity on the night. We’ve been blown away from the positive feedback from those who came along and it was a delight seeing the range of extravagant and creative wigs on show. This annual charity fundraiser is most definitely unique!”

Some of the most notable costumes included Zeus complete with light-up lightning rod, she-devils, a troupe of white witches, and a whole range of Indian gods, complete with blue skin, yellow saris and – of course – bright red wigs.

The appearance from Wiggy Woo, the face of the W.I.G. Party, was greeted with rapturous applause and his performance to kick off the evening’s proceedings went down just as well. Violinists and a plethora of stilt walkers added to the magical ambience.

Deborah Jack, CEO of the National Aids Trust, added: “We’re delighted with the support shown by all the attendees of this year’s W.I.G. Party. We’re waiting for the final total, but every penny raised will go towards a vital cause and help those living with HIV and AIDS. Here’s to next year’s event! “